EFCC may soon go after former First Lady Patience Jonathan

She will have to explain her role in the sourcing and disbursement of huge funds spent by the presidency during the last two weeks before the general elections

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may soon invite Goodluck Jonathan’s wife to explain her role in the sourcing and disbursement of huge funds spent by the presidency during the last two weeks before the general elections. The fund, estimated at over a trillion naira, was reportedly disbursed through the Amnesty office to some political bigwigs in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 


According to investigators of the disbursement, the release of about 40% of the funds was authorized by the former First Lady. The operatives of the anti-graft agency are also investigating the source of the funds, which has not been yet established because the former head of the presidential amnesty programme departed from Nigeria.

Speaking with The Sun, sources who pleaded for anonymity said that the former Amesty office’s boss “allegedly disbursed the bulk of the money, which was not part of the funds allocated to his office.” “Ordinarily, he should have been here to defend himself against the petitions, but he has refused to show up. It is highly suspected that he is not in any hospital. It was all a dummy be sold to Nigerians. 

He left this country as soon as he sensed the EFCC may invite him to explain his role in the funds disbursement,” he added. The source noted that the investigation team has already interrogated some aides, including personal assistants and driver of the former boss of the Amnesty office, on the matter. In the past few months, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has increased the tempo of its hunt for public funds suspected to have been looted from the government coffers. Many serving and retired military officers as well as top politicians have been interrogated by the EFCC operatives.

It would be noted that the anti-corruption campaign has started yielding fruits. A few days ago, the immediate past director of finance and budget of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo, returned the sum of N84 million to the anti-graft agency. Earlier this year, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former military governor of Kaduna state, Jafaru Isa, returned N100m out of the N170m he reportedly received from former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.